» Florida leads the all-time series with Florida State 33-19-2. The Gators have won six straight games against the Seminoles including going 5-0 under Meyer with a 2-0 mark in Tallahassee. UF has won the last six meetings between the two teams by an average of 21.8 points and the last three by an average of 30 points.
» The Gators are 17-1 in rivalry games under Meyer including nine consecutive wins and a 5-0 mark against the Seminoles.
» UF is tied for the national lead with 17 interceptions on the season. Seven have been returned for more than 30 yards – three for touchdowns.
» Florida is back out of the BCS, Associated Press and USA Today top 25 after returning to the rankings three weeks ago. This season is the first time the Gators have been unranked in all three under Meyer. Florida had been listed in every poll since he took over in 2005 until they lost to Mississippi State three weeks ago.
» The Gators’ offense has seen 15 different players overall score a touchdown this year – including defense and special teams.
» Florida is the only school in the nation that has four players with at least three interceptions. Overall, eight Gators have at least one interception.
» The Seminoles slightly out-rank the Gators in all four major statistical averages; however, their statistics come against what many would consider inferior ACC competition. Florida State is 63rd in passing yards (212.6), 33rd in rushing yards (183.4), 37th in points scored (31.7) and 14th in points against (18.8) compared to Florida being 70th in passing yards (202.8), 49th in rushing yards (161.4), 40th in points for (31.3) and 26th in points against (20.2). The teams have not faced a common opponent this season.
» UF under Meyer is 42-1 when holding an opponent under 16 points, 29-3 when shutting an opponent out in the fourth quarter, 38-3 when holding an opponent to 35 percent or less on third down, 39-2 when giving up two or less big plays (15-yard run/25-yard pass) and 33-3 when the Gators defense scores or creates three turnovers.
» FSU’s Fisher has faced UF 16 times while an assistant at Auburn, LSU and Florida State; Florida is 11-5 in those contests (4-2 vs. Auburn, 4-3 vs. LSU, 3-0 vs. LSU).
» Gators defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, while defensive backs coach at Wake Forest (1991-93), faced the Seminoles three times and won every meeting.
» Florida freshman offensive lineman Chaz Green and Florida State’s Christian Green both attended Tampa Catholic High School. Gators defensive lineman Glen Watson and the Seminoles’ Anthony Porterfield both went to Escambia High School. FSU WR Jared Haggins attended Lakeland High School with a number of UF’s seniors.

KEEP AN EYE ON…

FLORIDA
» Redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley…who had thrown 156 consecutive passes without an interception dating back to 2009, now has an 8-8 TD/INT ratio this season after throwing an interception last week. He has completed 188-of-304 passes (61.8 percent) for 1,968 yards and has a passer rating of 119.6.
» Freshman QB Trey Burton and redshirt freshman tight end Jordan Reed…both of whom will spell Brantley at quarterback in Florida’s new three-QB system. Burton set a school record and SEC freshman record by scoring six touchdowns in a single game against Kentucky. He has 12 scores on the season, has played five positions and is second on the team in rushing (64 carries for 316 yards). Reed got his first meaningful snaps behind center two weeks, going 16-of-29 for 180 yards with three touchdowns and a pick. He also ran 40 times for 186 yards with five more scores.
» Junior running back Jeff Demps…who is averaging 6.3 yards per carry and still leads the Gators in rushing (487 yards) after missing two full games and being limited in six others. He was Florida’s leading rusher in its first five games of the season.
» Redshirt junior wide receiver Chris Rainey..who returned to action for the first time in over a month against Georgia and has 34 carries for 227 yards (along with 18 receptions for 173 yards) and five touchdowns this year.
» Redshirt freshman WR/kick returner Andre Debose…who set a school single-season record with his second kickoff return touchdown two weeks ago. With an 88-yard return against LSU and a 99-yard return against South Carolina, he is the only freshman nationally with two in 2010 and one of only two players nationally with two in 2010. He is one of the reasons why the Gators rank No. 5 nationally and No. 1 in the SEC in kickoff returns with a 26.4 average.
» Sophomore WR Frankie Hammond, Jr.…who is quickly becoming one of Florida’s most important pass catchers. He was the team’s leading receiver against Mississippi State and caught three passes for 46 yards against Georgia and another three passes for 49 yards and a touchdown against Vanderbilt the following week.
» Senior punter Chas Henry…who is the end-all be-all of Florida’s kicking game now that he has taken over for junior Caleb Sturgis (back) as the team’s field goal kicker. Henry had missed five-straight field goal attempts (one negated by penalty) before nailing back-to-back kicks in the fourth quarter and overtime a month ago.
» Florida’s secondary…which has intercepted 13 balls this season. Starters senior safety Ahmad Black (three), junior CB Janrois Jenkins (three), redshirt sophomore CB Jeremy Brown (three), and junior S Will Hill (three) have accounted for all but one of the unit’s picks.
» Black…who has led Florida in tackles seven times this season: vs. South Carolina (career-high 16), LSU (13), Georgia (12), Miami (10), Mississippi State (10), USF (8) and Vanderbilt (4). He is tops on the team overall with 96 tackles, including nine for loss.

FLORIDA STATE
» QB Christian Ponder…who leads his team in offense having passed for 1,817 yards and 17 touchdowns to go along with eight interceptions. He has also rushed 88 times for 159 yards and four scores. Ponder did not play in last year’s game due to injury.
» WR Bert Reed…who is Ponder’s top pass catcher hauling in 50 balls for 514 yards and two touchdowns this season.
» RBs Chris Thompson and Jermaine Thomas…who have combined for 1,128 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
» LB Nigel Bradham and DE Brandon Jenkins…who lead the Seminoles, respectively, with team bests in tackles (80) and sacks (10).

Read OGGOA’s Florida Gators at Florida State Seminoles preview after the jump!

Florida Gators at No. 22 Florida State Seminoles Preview

Conference titles are not up for grabs, a trip to a BCS bowl game is out of reach and there is nothing else on the line except pride and an improved record as the Florida Gators step into Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday to take on the No. 22 Florida State Seminoles.

Pride for Florida State means snapping Florida’s six-game winning streak in the series and ending head coach Jimbo Fisher’s first regular season with a respectable 9-3 record including wins over both of their biggest rivals (Miami being the other).

For the Gators pride means finding some respectability out of a woeful season with a road win over the Seminoles. Florida has fallen to every ranked opponent it has faced this year and lost three times at home in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for the first time in over two decades. UF also has the opportunity to extend their streak over FSU to seven games and their record under head coach Urban Meyer to 17-1 in rivalry games.

No player currently on the Gators has ever lost to the Seminoles with the seniors looking to go 4-0 (or 5-0 in some cases) and the highly touted freshman class yearning for their third rivalry win of the season.

Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder has had his own ups-and-downs this year while both winning and losing games for his team. Florida’s secondary will be charged with keeping him and top wide receivers Bert Reed, Willie Haulstead and Taiwain Easterling in check while also stopping a running game whose three main ball carriers have amassed 1,610 yards on 240 carries (6.7 average) with 13 touchdowns.

The Gators hope to get an offense going that stalled mightily against South Carolina when it counted the most but got a burst of life against an undersized Appalachian State last week. Florida scored an average of 42 points per game in its conference wins this year while only managing 14 point on average in its losses. UF is 49-2 under Meyer when scoring first and only 15-12 when its opponent does, so getting on the board early will be key for the Gators.

Junior RB Jeff Demps, who has barely played for Florida this year after injuring his foot, may provide a spark for the Gators offensively if he is able to get on the field. Otherwise UF will rely on and hope that redshirt junior QB John Brantley has broken out of his funk and can get the ball downfield while redshirt junior WR Chris Rainey makes some explosive plays out of the backfield. Unlike two weeks ago, Florida will make an effort to stick with its three-QB system even if they get in a hole early, so expect to see plenty of redshirt freshman tight end Jordan Reed and freshman QB Trey Burton behind center.

Catch the Gators’ 12th game of the season live on ABC, online on ESPN3.com, via the radio or through OGGOA‘s live updates on Twitter.

It’s hard to know where to go with this team. Losing even more players and no clear evidence of how we are improving. We need to encourage Addazio to take a HC position or tell him he is back to being exclusively the OL Coach/Assistant Head Coach. Get Mark Helfrich, Kerwin Bell, or Billy Gonzalez to be the OC. Open competition at every single position first day of spring. Make developing a pass rush and a down field passing game priorities. And we Gator fans need to learn, don’t trust a thing the coaches or players say regarding progress and potential. Wait to see it in the games.

@David : Don’t worry, I’m glad to see the o-line and d-line have the door hit them in the ass. 1 sack against Appy state and zero tonight. Who the hell cares what we lose as it doesn’t get any worse than that!

Well it is what it is…we lost this season in the Spring when we went through the motions and thought the success would continue. FSU is just an alright team, and they hammered us. Well maybe we’ll work for it in the offseason, the entitled players will wait a long time on draft day for their name to be called, and we will show up with an actual plan in 2011. Go Gators see you in late December.

If this doesn’t cause the change we need to happen. Then all the Bull Gators need to strongly reconsider their charitable contributions, until change is indeed carried out…Fire Addazio, NOW….Re-evaluate Austin, Ask Brantley to transfer or be a back-up, silently on the bench. or pull his scholarship all together. EMBARRASSING performance by the entire team and coaching staff. Unacceptable, we are The Florida Gators.

Even at halftime, I felt encouraged…I mean atleast we were moving the ball (when we could hold onto it). When one qb got into a rhythm he was replaced and the drive would invariably be stopped. I thought the coaching staff would get wise to this. Reed went most of the field, then was replaced by Brantley IN THE RED ZONE – interception. 3rd QTR Brantley looks like he’s finally getting into a rhythm 2 completions back to back 1st downs, moving the ball to midfield then is replaced by Burton. They dress up the offense with all these bells and whistles when they line up in formation and make it look like so damn complicated like nasa is on the field constructing the space shuttle and whats the end product: THE SAME 9 PLAYS WE RAN ALL SEASON.

I’m usually a reader of this site never posted before but pull his scholarship?? This is not the NFL by that logic if brantley played well they should pay him. I think things should change and I am also a frustrated fan but demanding him to transfer or pulling his scholly wont accomplish anything but make recruits stay away anyway. I can imagine that pitch to somones parent if your son dont play like a 1st round pick he cant go to school here. This team is just not that good whether it was bad coaching, lost too many pieces, actually buying into their own hype, or bad players who knows. I believe urban meyer will do whats needed to right this ship even if he stands up tmw and say he supports whoever.

How bad does it have to get before Urban makes changes. Can’t handle another year of this. Takes us back to the inept offenses of the 80’s….painful to watch.
If SA comes back we’ll take a huge hit in recruiting next year. I don’t see all the talent we are supposed to have now so can’t afford an off year there either.
JReed proved he can throw today, think he should be the starter since he’s an option type qb and power runner. For whatever reason Brantley isn’t going to cut it. Whoever ran off Cam (AZ??) should be castrated immediately. 10-12 wins with him behind center.

No you dont pull a scholarship,but you do pull your hair out wondering what the heck these coaches are thinking. How many other “3 headed qb” systems have worked? Well before you spend all night researching that one I will tell you: zero. Major changes needed on both sides of the ball and especially in the coaching.

What I said or meant to say was..Explain to John Brantley and his family he can stay and be a back-up or transfer. But, we all know that family would never stand for that, so explain to him He can transfer. These family (Brantley) and friend (Addazio) situations are killing our program.

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